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Screening of ‘The Right to Risk’ set for Nov. 4

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Having a disability and leading an active lifestyle can and do co-exist.

That’s the message of “The Right to Risk,” a film screening and discussion at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4. The presentation is at the Alumni Lounge at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Recreation Center.

“The Right to Risk” is a 2005 documentary telling the story of eight people with significant physical disabilities as they embarked on a 15-day, 225-mile Grand Canyon whitewater rafting adventure. Following the screening, SIUC students from Recreational Sports and Services’ Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation program will share their own experiences and the insights they acquired during their recent whitewater rafting trip on Tennessee’s Ocoee River.

The evening promises to be a time of community enlightenment, breaking down misperceptions and changing attitudes about those with disabilities -- who they are and what they can do. Organizers say there are millions and millions of people with disabilities and they often find themselves limited more by society and its idea of what they can and can’t do than by their physical problems.

Parking for the event is available in the Brush Towers lot across from the Recreation Center on Grand Avenue and in the lot behind the center. The handicapped accessible entrance is on Grand Avenue.

Partnering to sponsor the event are SIUC Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation, Southern Illinois Radio Information Service (SIRIS)/WSIU Radio, SIUC Disability Support Services and the Bureau of Blind Services-Illinois Department of Rehabilitation.